


he says hello when he leaves, goodbye when he arrives

by London9Calling



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Demon Summoning, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-16
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-16 07:47:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11824245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/London9Calling/pseuds/London9Calling
Summary: Who would have thought summoning a fifth level demon to win a singing contest could have such interesting consequences? Certainly not Byun Baekhyun.





	he says hello when he leaves, goodbye when he arrives

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Code:YFBD-154  
> Warnings: Language, wet dreams, past infidelity, attempts at demonic summoning   
> Author's Note: A huge thanks to the prompter for giving me this gem to work with. I hope you like it! Thanks to the mods for putting on the fest and a huge shout out to my betas. ILY guys. Title taken from a line in the Seinfeld episode Bizarro Jerry.

Chanyeol had called him crazy, Jongdae wholeheartedly agreed. Junmyeon...well he had said something about going to hell. Baekhyun brushed off his friend’s concern like he brushed off most things in life, with a bright smile and a joke. Plus, what did they know? It wasn’t like they had ever tried to summon a fifth level demon to win a singing contest, their opinions were completely uninformed. 

Baekhyun’s eyes darted over his pile of loot. Candles, salt, chalk, feather, paring knife (okay, so the thing he read online said he needed some sort of dagger but his mother’s paring knife was close enough). He nodded towards the pile, a smug smile forming on his lips. It was time to show Do Kyungsoo once and for all who the best singer at Jun Academy was. 

He had already surmised Kyungsoo would never summon his own demon to win the contest so this was definitely to his advantage. Kyungsoo was too straight laced, too proper, too...Kyungsoo. Baekhyun grimaced at the thought of his rival who even now was probably going to voice lessons while reading some famous literary mumbo jumbo and thinking about how to be a better person. 

Baekhyun snorted. Do Kyungsoo, bane of his existence since middle school. The only person with a voice almost as good as his own. Rival. Enemy. Arch nemesis. Motivation to summon a demon in his parent’s basement while they were out antiquing. Do Kyungsoo, the person he hated the most in the world. 

Baekhyun pulled his phone from his front pocket and brought up the demon summoning website. The internet was truly an amazing place, you could find out how to do anything on it. He arranged the candles carefully, following the diagram. A salt circle was next and then the chalk drawing in the middle –– the special symbol that would call forth a specific demon. 

After the preparation was complete he sat in the middle of the circle and admired his handiwork. He checked the formation again, made sure the salt was fully forming a circle without any gaps. Satisfied, Baekhyun set his phone down and took a deep breath. Time to summon a demon. 

“Regna terrae, cantata Dae psallite Aradia.” Baekhyun spoke the words slowly. “Caeli Deus, Dues Tarrae, Humiliter majestati gloriae tuae supplicamus.” 

Baekhyun held his breath, waiting for the demonic entity that was certain to appear any moment. After a minute of waiting he grabbed his phone and checked the time. How long did demons take? He had assumed they would be quick –  _ summoning and all _ . 

A full five minutes passed before anything happened, long enough for Baekhyun to scoot his way towards the edge of the circle in a bid to stretch his cramping legs. A noise that sounded like thunder boomed through the basement. Baekhyun jumped and yelped in surprise, clutching his hand to his chest as he watched in terror as a swirling black orb appeared in the middle of the circle. 

“This is what you wanted Baekhyun, chill, chill,” he whispered to himself, watching as the orb widened. It lowered to the floor and flattened, hitting the carpet and creating a swirling vortex amid the ugly brown berber carpeting.

Baekhyun waited with bated breath for a scary looking seven foot tall monster to step out of the vortex, ready to grant his wish of winning the fifty seventh annual Jun Academy Song-rific Contest. The seconds ticked by and nothing happened. Cautiously he edged towards the portal, craning his neck to see inside. Darkness, black, zero light –– it looked like what Baekhyun imagined a black hole would look like (maybe, he had slept through that part of science class but details, details).

When nothing terrible happened he moved even closer, getting on his hands and knees and peering into the portal. And that was his first mistake (if he considered trying to summon a demon in his parent’s basement not a mistake, which well…at the time he didn’t). 

Was it gravity? Was that even possible (he was never good at science, okay). A force pulled Baekhyun into the portal, sucking his body into the darkness without warning. Baekhyun screamed but no sound came out. 

Everything was dark.

Everything was silent.

And then his back hit something hard. The groan he let out was audible, the pain was very real, shooting up his backside and spine. He reached around and clutched his lower back, wincing as he sat up. 

“How in the hell did you get here?!”

It took Baekhyun a few seconds to gain his bearings, to glance around and realize he was in a room –– no, a basement, and he wasn’t alone. Standing across from him was Do Kyungsoo, a broom in one hand and a duster in the other. He was scowling at him, eyes full of hatred. 

“Kyungsoo?” Baekhyun questioned, eyes darting around. Dusty, dirty, unfinished basement. Definitely not his own. Where was he?

“Baekhyun, I meant it when I said we are done, broken up, we aren’t dating anymore. So please, don’t make this harder than it needs to be and leave.” Kyungsoo gestured towards the door with the feather duster. 

_ Dating _ . Had Kyungsoo said they were dating? Baekhyun put his hand to his head, wondering just how hard he had fallen when he...well...whatever had happened. “Wait what?”

“You had your chance and you blew it. I don’t want to see you anymore. And don’t you dare start telling me how much you love me because the feelings are not mutual,” Kyungsoo hissed, looking far more pissed than Baekhyun had ever seen him. 

Love. Do Kyungsoo. Break up. Chances. Dating. 

“Wait...are you the demon?” Baekhyun asked softly.

Kyungsoo chased him upstairs with the broom and feather duster, not stopping until Baekhyun stumbled out a side door and onto the street, completely bewildered and confused. 

Baekhyun blinked rapidly, glancing around, trying to understand how Kyungsoo had just chased him out of a strange basement when he had most certainly been in his own, much cleaner basement only seconds before. 

The street looked vaguely familiar but he couldn’t place the exact location. The homes lining the wide street were older, some had not been well maintained. They had small yards and narrow driveways. The road in front of them was busy –– cars zipping by without an iota of concern for Baekhyun’s plight.

“Where in the hell am I?” he mumbled. The sidewalks were empty, free of pedestrians. He didn’t even see anyone out mowing their lawn. “Did I die…” he whispered, suddenly moving his hands over his body to make sure he was real.

He felt solid. Very solid. His fingers even still did that weird bendy thing when he moved them a certain way. So what in the …

Baekhyun startled when a car pulled up to the curb, the passenger side window rolled down in a flash. “You didn’t visit Kyungsoo, did you?” a voice spoke from the car. A teenager leaned from the driver’s seat to look out the passenger’s side. One glimpse of the driver and Baekhyun instantly recognized him.

“Chanyeol! Oh thank god you’re here. I just had––”

Chanyeol interrupted him mid-ramble. “Get in and tell me all about your stupidity. Man, you know he’s pissed I don’t know why you insist on making it worse. He isn’t going to take you back if you do things like this.” 

Why was nothing making sense? Granted Chanyeol often didn’t make sense but still, he was more confusing than usual. “Chanyeol,” Baekhyun started slowly. “Where are we?”

“Are you drunk? Seriously.” Chanyeol reached over and opened the passenger side door. “Get in before you get in any more trouble.”

Baekhyun opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it. Even if he was in some bizarro demon world at least he recognized someone. He scurried into the car without another word, buckling his seat belt as Chanyeol pulled away as recklessly as he had stopped. 

“You know, Kyungsoo is a saint for putting up with you as long as he did.” 

Baekhyun scowled at the bizarro demon world version of Chanyeol. “Like Do Kyungsoo is anything to write home about,” he shot back, anger boiling up at the thought of his rival, quickly replacing the confusion and fear he felt at whatever was happening to him. 

“That isn’t what you said when you professed your undying love and devotion to him in front of the entire school,” Chanyeol replied, yanking the steering wheel and taking a hard left. 

Baekhyun stared dumbly at his friend. He did what? When? In what backwards sort of universe would he, Byun Baekhyun, ever profess his love for that uptight, goody two shoes, pain in his ass, (okay he has nice eyes but that’s it) Do Kyungsoo.

“Did I lose my mind?” he wondered aloud. He glanced out the window and was surprised to see a familiar sight. It was his hometown, the rundown little Dairy Queen on the corner, the drugstore halfway down the block.  Everything looked right. Normal, like he expected. Except for whatever was going on with his friends. “Chanyeol, what year is it?”

“Twenty seventeen,” he answered without missing a beat. “The year of your death if you don’t figure out how to treat people.”

“What is the name of our school? We go to school, right?” Baekhyun asked, closely observing everything they passed, looking for a clue, for anything to indicate what was happening. 

“Jun Academy. Yes, well most of the time. You like to skip that art history class you signed up for,” Chanyeol rambled off. “How much did you have to drink?”

Baekhyun slumped back in the passenger’s seat, peeling his eyes from the passing scenery in a sign of resignation. He would just have to face this…whatever this was, like he faced everything. With a smile and a joke and an undying hatred of Do Kyungsoo. “Not enough, clearly not enough,” he laughed. “Do you have anything at your house? Whiskey? Beer? Hand sanitizer?”

Chanyeol answered with a heavy sigh. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat. You need to sober up.”

Baekhyun nodded. He needed to do something, what he wasn’t sure, but he was never a person to turn down food especially if someone else was paying. 

  
  
  
  


After two hamburgers, a mound of french fries and a chocolate shake, Baekhyun ascertained he was in his hometown, his friends were the same, everything else seemed the same –– with one terrifying exception. Apparently, according to demon-bizarro-world Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had been dating for two years, were so in love it was disgusting and made everyone sick, and then broke up because “Baekhyun, you are an idiot”. He had yet to discern exactly what made him an idiot but he couldn’t expect to solve all of the mysteries in life over one high fat meal. 

“I’m so full,” he groaned, holding his hand over his bloated stomach. 

“I hope you’re sober,” Chanyeol remarked, shoving the last french fry in his mouth. “Or your mom is going to kill you before Kyungsoo has a chance.”

His mother. Right. What would she be like in demon bizarro world? “Hey, let me sleep over at your place tonight.” At least Demon world Chanyeol was pretty much the same as normal world Chanyeol; he was kind of afraid to find out what his parents were like in this place.

“Nope. I have a date,” Chanyeol said proudly. “Plus you aren’t exactly my idea of good company at the moment. I probably shouldn’t even be associating with you.”

Baekhyun squinted. Okay apparently demon world Chanyeol wasn’t that similar. “With who?”

Chanyeol stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “Clearly you are not sober. Jongdae, you moron.  _ My boyfriend. _ Who in the hell else would I date?”

It was further confirmation he really was in a demonic world - no normal world could handle Chanyeol and Jongdae as a couple. The noise, the bickering...the noisy bickering!! What kind of hell had he fallen into?!

  
  
  


Baekhyun took a deep breath before opening the door. The outside of his family home looked the same but if Chanyeol and Jongdae were dating who in the hell knew what could be waiting for him inside. Different parents? A fridge full of cucumbers? Anything was possible. 

He inched into the familiar abode, horrified at what he may encounter. 

“Baekhyun, is that you?”

The sound of his mother’s voice - the _ familiar s _ ound of her voice - alleviated at least some of his worries. 

“It’s me,” he called back, toeing off his shoes. 

Much to his relief he found the kitchen the same as he remembered and when he found his mother and father in the living room they weren’t strangers or shoving cucumbers in his face. Everything was blissfully normal until he got to his bedroom.

The hinges on the door creaked the same as always and his floor was still littered with clothes and whatever else he was too lazy to put away. The differences were on his desk, on his nightstand, on his walls. Pictures with Kyungsoo were scattered throughout, snapshots of the pair smiling, Baekhyun’s arm slung over the smaller man’s shoulders. Making faces, a picture that looked like it came from prom. 

Baekhyun frowned at the photos. They were downright disturbing. There was no conceivable way that he would ever take such sappy pictures with his nemesis yet here they were...in his room no less. 

He made a clean sweep of his room, tearing down the offensive pictures as quickly as he could. “Stupid demon world,” he muttered, tossing the pictures in a desk drawer in an effort to regain his sanity. 

His next move was to find his laptop which was lying on his bed, tangled in his covers (cleanliness was not his strong suit in either world, apparently). He opened his browser and typed in:

_ How to escape a demon world I was sucked into by trying to summon a fifth level demon _

“What in the hell do you mean there are no matches!” he screeched at the screen, indignant. He couldn’t possibly be the only one that had found themselves in such a predicament, could he? Some other person had to have been desperate enough to summon a demon at some point. What was it that Jongdae always said - if you have a question ask it, someone else probably has the same one? So where in the hell was the answer?!

Baekhyun flopped backwards on his bed, groaning. He was doomed. Horribly doomed.

  
  
  
  


The smell of cleaning fluid – check. The muffled noise of teenage desperation and despair – check. The squeak of shoes on floors the janitors forgot to mop because they were too busy dousing everything else with cleaning fluid – present. Baekhyun narrowed his eyes, looking down the long hall, trying to spot anything that was out of place. He had somehow survived the weekend lying around his parent’s house, but going to school was a different matter. He had no idea what could be waiting for him, what else could be different in this world (and he had diligently checked he was still in this strange place with periodic glances at the pictures he shoved in his desk drawer at home. Much to his annoyance they were still there). 

“What’s wrong?” 

Baekhyun jumped, momentarily shaking in fear. He turned around to see Junmyeon eyeing him up, suspicious. 

“Nothing is wrong!” He glared at the demon bizarro world version of his friend. “How are you?”

Junmyeon took a step back. “Are you drunk?”

“Yes. Extremely,” Baekhyun deadpanned. 

“You’re lying.”

“What gave it away?” Baekhyun asked sarcastically. He returned to staring down the hall, searching the familiar scene for the unfamiliar. 

“If you’re waiting for Kyungsoo he’s already in class, I saw him when I passed Mrs. Lee’s room,” Junmyeon reported. “Chanyeol told me you went over there on Saturday. Dude, what are you thinking? You have the nerve to cheat on him and then act like this…”

Baekhyun spun around. “I did what?”

Junmyeon shook his head, sighing sadly. “You know what you did. Everyone does. Look, we’ve been friends forever but what you did, I don’t know...it is hard for me to understand.”

He cheated on Kyungsoo. Of course he did, this was demon bizarro world. He probably also loved quadratic formulas in this world or some shit.

“I-” Baekhyun didn’t know what to say. He had never dated anyone in his normal world and he had no experience with cheating. Honestly if he had done such a thing he couldn’t blame Junmyeon for being put off by it. What kind of despicable being was he…?

“I hope you realize how many people you’ve hurt, for your own sake.” Junmyeon patted him on the shoulder as he passed, leaving Baekhyun to stare dumbly after him. 

  
  
  


Baekhyun felt numb the entire morning. A depression came over him, mixing in with the desperation he already felt. He wanted to go back to a normal place, a place where he wasn’t a jerk, where all he wanted in life was to use a demon to win a singing contest. 

He noticed the dirty looks from people when he walked down the hall. The entire school was aware of his infidelity, snickering and whispering as he passed. 

He barely mustered the courage to walk into the lunchroom. Once he did he found that his familiar spot was open, the seat right next to Jongdae. Not everyone had abandoned him it seemed. 

He grabbed his tray of food and shuffled towards the spot. He was five feet from the table when Kyungsoo seemed to appear from nowhere, sliding into the chair with loud welcomes from Jongdae and Chanyeol. 

Baekhyun stopped in the middle of the lunchroom and stared, a frown tattooed on his face. Kyungsoo was smiling and laughing with Jongdae and Chanyeol. His friends. His nemesis. Together while he stood awkwardly clutching his tray feeling more depressed than he had ever felt in his life. 

“Baekhyun!”

Baekhyun eagerly turned towards where his name was shouted from. A student he was unfamiliar with sat at a far table, hand waving to beckon Baekhyun over. 

Be a depressed lunchroom statue or join the stranger – the choice was easy. Baekhyun started walking towards the person calling but not before glancing over at what used to be his lunch table. Kyungsoo, Jongdae, and Chanyeol were staring at him with the most disapproving of expressions. 

Baekhyun scowled back. Two could play that game. Or, well four but who was counting. 

He stalked over to the stranger and took the offered seat. “Hello...”

“Hey, you looked lost. Everything okay?” the student asked. 

Baekhyun nodded, taking the chance to look at the student. He was cute with deep dimples and a wide smile. His black hair was worn shaggy, whether it was on purpose or if he was just too lazy to get a haircut Baekhyun had no idea. He was nice looking. 

“Yep. Everything’s great, never better,” Baekhyun lied. 

The student didn’t seem convinced. He pursed his lips and gave Baekhyun a knowing look. “Do you miss him?”

“What? No, of course not!” Baekhyun wasn’t a genius but he could ascertain that the man was referring to Kyungsoo (since apparently that was the highlight of his existence in Demon world). 

The man sighed. “You were drunk, I was drunk. I should never have agreed to go out with you after you fought with Kyungsoo.”

Baekhyun blinked. “Yes… the fight. I was drunk, very drunk. What exactly happened?” If he was stuck in this place he desperately needed to figure out what had happened. Existing with a past he knew nothing about would surely drive him mad. 

The man folded his arms against his chest and let out another sigh. “You were more drunk than I thought.”

Baekhyun nodded. “Plastered. Don’t remember a thing.”

“You and Kyungsoo got in a fight by the deck. The entire party heard, really brutal stuff. You weren’t nice, called him a...let me think.” The student snapped his fingers. “That’s right, a no-talent-loser-who-sucks-in-bed. After that Kyungsoo stormed out and you asked me out and kissed me. I said yeah and then we made out more.”

“Wait, we made out?” Baekhyun felt a surge of pride in the fact. The man across from him was hot. He had made out with a hot guy. Nice.

“Yeah, but I should slap you for not remembering it,” the boy said. 

Oh wait, yeah he had made out with a hot guy when he had a boyfriend. That was not something to be proud of. Damn Kyungsoo ruining his demon world fun!

Baekhyun glanced over at the lunch table, intending to scowl at his nemesis. His eyes met Kyungsoo’s and instead of hatred there was… mischievousness. Kyungsoo was smirking at him. What in the hell was he smirking for?! What did he know?

“Go back to him, I figured it was all some drunken mistake,” the student urged. “No hard feelings.”

Baekhyun looked away from Kyungsoo. He didn’t know what to say or do, only that he was extremely annoyed. “I’m not hungry anymore.” He picked up his tray and stalked out of the lunchroom, needing to get away.

  
  


  
_ “Phone lady, how do you escape a fifth level demon world?” _

_ “I do not have information on that.” _

_ “Phone lady, how do you escape a demon world where you cheated on your nemesis that you apparently love in this world and everyone hates you?” _

_ “I’m sorry, I am not returning any results.” _

Baekhyun grimaced at his phone, squeezing the plastic so hard he was surprised it didn’t break. He was in his own personal hell (he was also skipping class and hanging out on the rooftop of school, but hey, personal hells were multi-locational). 

It was Kyungsoo who had gotten him into this mess, he thought. Kyungsoo who promised to win the singing competition. Kyungsoo who scowled at him, who was better than him, smarter than him. Who gave him dirty looks and judged him, his dark eyes cold and appraising whenever Baekhyun was around. Kyungsoo who never smiled, who was unfailingly serious, prim and proper. Who never gave Baekhyun the time of day unless he pulled a prank on him. 

The image of the Kyungsoo he had just witnessed, smirking, knowing...it fit. The Kyungsoo from the pictures he had torn off his bedroom wall - smiling, happy, and relaxed - formed another layer.  It was bizarre. Different. Baekhyun shook his head furiously trying to get his brain to discard the duality of his nemesis.

“I’m going to go crazy!” he shouted, mock tearing at his hair. It was infuriating that he was in a world where he was hated, where Kyungsoo was the apple of his friend’s eyes, where Kyungsoo would win ...wait. The singing competition. He didn’t even know if there was one here. 

Baekhyun rushed from the rooftop, taking the steps two at a time. He made a beeline for the choir room, ignoring the shocked looks from one of the teachers as he rushed past. There would be a poster, there had to be a poster advertising it. 

Baekhyun slid to a stop in front of the door, eyes moving wildly over the oak colored trim and the window looking into the room. There was nothing. 

He wouldn’t even have a chance to one up Kyungsoo. It truly was a personal hell.

  
  
  


On Tuesday Baekhyun walked passed the lunchroom and peeked in to see Kyungsoo sitting on his spot. On Wednesday he didn’t even bother to wander over during lunch. On Thursday he convinced his mom he was too sick to go to school and by Friday he was sitting on his bedroom floor attempting to summon a demon once again - his mother sitting in the living room watching a gameshow be damned. 

It didn’t work. He found the same spell, gathered the same tools but nothing happened. Baekhyun fell to his bedroom floor and sobbed, missing the reality he once knew. He wasn’t sure how long he cried but what snapped him out of his sobs was the vibration of his phone. He reached for it, drying his tears with the back of one hand while he slid the lock screen with the other. 

_ We need to talk _

It was from Kyungsoo. Do Kyungsoo, his arch nemesis who was apparently saved in his phone as Soo<3

_ Okay _ he texted back, not knowing what else to do. 

  
  
  


Baekhyun had never been to the park by his house after the sun went down, never had a reason to. Now he was standing under the tall oak tree, waiting for Kyungsoo. He had his hands stuffed in his jeans pocket, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was nervous, even a little afraid. 

What would bizarro demon world Kyungsoo have to say? Could things get worse?

Kyungsoo showed up a little after eight, moving so quietly Baekhyun didn’t realize he was there until he was right beside him. He was dressed in a flannel shirt, t-shirt, and jeans. Baekhyun belatedly realized it was the first time he had seen Kyungsoo out of their school uniform in either world.

“Hey,” Kyungsoo greeted, his deep voice sending a chill down Baekhyun’s spine. 

“Hey,” Baekhyun muttered. He leaned against the tree trunk, waiting for Kyungsoo to make the first move. He had nothing to say to Kyungsoo, never had in his world and certainly didn’t in this one. 

“I have to tell you the truth,” Kyungsoo started slowly, fidgeting with his hands. “I’m not the Kyungsoo you know.”

“No shit,” Baekhyun blurted out without thinking. He clapped his hand over his mouth in horror once he realized what he had said. 

Kyungsoo’s eyebrow raised in question. “You knew?”

Baekhyun kept his hand over his mouth, not answering as he stared back at Kyungsoo with wide yes. 

“I don’t know how it happened but I ended up here and look, this is all some big mistake. I know a Baekhyun but he isn’t like you. He would never cheat on a person, I mean if he could even date a person. I don’t think he’s ever so much as held hands with a ––”

“Wait, what are you saying?” Baekhyun’s heart began to beat erratically. “That you know a Baekhyun but it isn’t me?”

Kyungsoo blinked. “Yeah. In my world. This,” he held out his arms and gestured to their surroundings. “I don’t know what this world is or how to get out of it.”

“How did you get here?” Baekhyun asked slowly. 

Kyungsoo looked away. “I was… Well…”

“Do Kyungsoo, did you try to summon a demon to win the singing contest and end up here!” Baekhyun wagged his finger in his nemesis’s face, making an educated guess while simultaneously covering up his own misdeeds. 

Kyungsoo’s face turned red. “I-how–”

“You did! Oh my god you did!” Baekhyun wanted to laugh and cry. “Here I thought you were a different Kyungsoo and wow, you petty person you. A demon?!”

“How do you know about the singing contest?” Kyungsoo asked in alarm. “Are you…”

“I happen to be the Baekhyun you remember. I ended up here last Saturday,” Baekhyun swallowed. Must lie, must not admit to summoning a demon, he repeated in his head. “I um, just woke up here and yeah.”

“Wait, who sits next to you in chem?” Kyungsoo asked quickly.

“Junmyeon, I copy his notes.”

“What happened at prom last year?”

“Seulgi punched Jongin,” Baekhyun answered immediately.

Kyungsoo stared at Baekhyun with wide eyes. “You are from the same world,” he whispered. 

Baekhyun felt a huge sense of relief. “Wait, why do you trust me enough to tell me the truth?”

“I feel a bit guilty leading you on,” Kyungsoo mumbled. 

“You stole all my friends.” Baekhyun clucked his tongue, “And you tried to summon a demon to win at a singing contest. How low can you go?”

Kyungsoo scowled. “It doesn’t matter, what matters is we need to get out of here and get back.”

“And how do we do that? Phone lady has no idea and neither does google.” Baekhyun groaned. “I can’t find a thing about it anywhere.”

“Neither can I,” Kyungsoo quietly admitted. “But if we ended up here there has to be a way to get back.”

They stood in silence, both men thinking. “How did you know I summoned a demon?” Kyungsoo interrupted their thoughts, pointing out an inconsistency.

“Lucky guess,” Baekhyun lied, happy when Kyungsoo didn’t question him further. “What day did you first get here?”

“Last Friday at the party. I was just here and then you or…not you was all over me and I punched you and then you ended up making out with that guy,” Kyungsoo recalled. 

“You  _ punched  _ me?!” Baekhyun put his hand to his cheek. 

“It was my only choice. One minute I was home and the next moment you had your tongue shoved down my throat.”

Baekhyun could give him that at least. He didn’t want to kiss Kyungsoo either. 

“Hey, we should go to the library tomorrow and see if we can find anything on this...whatever this is,” Kyungsoo suggested. 

Baekhyun pouted. He didn’t do libraries. Kyungsoo gave him a stern look and reminded himself of their predicament.

“Fine, but not until 10 or later. I need my beauty sleep.”

Kyungsoo snorted before saying, “It’s a lost cau…” Kyungsoo stopped himself.  “I’ll see you then,” he corrected, walking in the direction he had come. 

  
  


Baekhyun never thought he would be happy to see Kyungsoo but he kind of was. Kind of. A little. At least the Kyungsoo he knew back in his world and not the bizarro demon world Kyungsoo that he had cheated on. 

“Why’d you smirk at me on Monday? During lunch.” Baekhyun questioned over Kyungsoo’s shoulder as they browsed the occult section of the library. 

“The way you were glaring was kind of funny,” Kyungsoo answered without turning away from the shelf. He moved his index finger over the spines of the books, carefully reading each title. 

“You’re going to tell Jongdae and Chanyeol you aren’t mad anymore, right?” Baekhyun chirped into his ear. “So I at least get my friends back.”

“Maybe,” Kyungsoo said dryly, pulling a book out from the shelves. 

_ Demon Summoning 101: A User's Guide _

“But it wasn’t me who cheated on you!” Baekhyun yelled, forgetting where they were.

Kyungsoo gave him a deadly look. “Library, be quiet,” he hissed. 

Baekhyun hung his head, “Sorry,” he whispered. “But you have to admit,  you are being kind of unfair. I can’t help what I did in this world before I got here.”

“I’ll tell them on one condition,” Kyungsoo said over his shoulder. 

Baekhyun swallowed. “What is it?”

“You shut up and read this book while I go through the others.” Kyungsoo shoved the book into Baekhyun’s chest.

Baekhyun bristled. Book. Reading. “Fine,” he agreed through gritted teeth, stalking over to one of the study tables. 

  
  
  


It turned out there was a lot more to demon summoning than Baekhyun could have guessed. Things he probably should have known before he embarked on his own summoning. But really, none of it was important. What was important was that there was zero mention of ending up in some bizarro world after attempting a summoning.

“I think we’re stuck forever,” Baekhyun whined, slumping over the open book. He pouted at Kyungsoo, who was sitting across the table, a stack of books next to him. 

“We aren’t stuck forever,” Kyungsoo said resolutely. “You give up too easily.”

Baekhyun made a face and mimicked his enemy. “ _ You give up too easily _ .”

Kyungsoo peered over the book he was reading. “You really think we should be antagonizing each other at a time like this?”

Baekhyun shrugged. “Why not?”

Kyungsoo sighed heavily. He set the book down, keeping his finger on the page. “Do you remember the first time we ever met?”

Baekhyun racked his brain. First time they met. First time...first time…”Nope.”

“It was sixth grade. You had your hand stuck in the copier and I helped you free it.”

The memory flooded back. “I remember that! I was copying myself giving the bird and then the top jammed! Ahhh, so it was you who helped.”

Kyungsoo nodded. “Yep, it was me. Now how about we put aside our differences and work together like we did that time?”

“You mean I need to do something stupid and then you’ll help me?” 

“Yes, Baekhyun, that is exactly what I mean. How perceptive of you,” Kyungsoo drawled, picking up his book. 

Kyungsoo returned to reading but Baekhyun wasn’t about to go back to his book. He had enough of it, he knew very well it didn’t have the answers he was looking for. Instead he remained slumped over on the table, observing Kyungsoo from afar. 

His wide eyes moved across the page,  _ probably a speed reader _ Baekhyun thought. His mouth formed a tight line, the I-am-not-amused expression Kyungsoo was known for. He was dedicated, which was good in this case but his major problem in the non-demon world. Far too dedicated. Annoyingly dedicated. 

“Stop staring at me,” Kyungsoo said, not looking away from the page.

“What do you hate the most about me? I hate how you try so hard. It’s really annoying.” Baekhyun was curious. 

“You don’t try hard enough, that’s what I hate about you,” Kyungsoo answered without missing a beat. 

“But I do okay,” Baekhyun shot back.

“Not as well as I do,” Kyungsoo pointed out. 

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at his nemesis. “ _ Not as well as I do _ ,” he mocked.

“Are you done now?” 

“Nope,” Baekhyun answered smugly. 

Kyungsoo, however, was apparently done. He slammed the book shut and stood, scooping up the stack while giving Baekhyun the evil eye. “I’m going to sit over there.”

“Fine,” Baekhyun sat back and crossed his arms against his chest. “It’s better that way.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and stalked to the far side of the library, as far away from Baekhyun as possible. Baekhyun put his head back down on the table, but this time he wasn’t staring at his enemy. Within a few minutes he fell asleep. 

He woke up a half an hour later to the librarian shaking his shoulder. “You were snoring and making yipping noises,” she scolded him.

When he looked across the library Kyungsoo was gone. 

  
  
  


_ Baekhyun: Did you find out how to get back? _

_ Soo<3: No _

_ Baekhyun: What are you doing _

_ Soo<3: It’s none of your business _

_ Baekhyun: Teamwork huh _

_ Soo<3: Fine, I’m with Chanyeol. _

_ Baekhyun: Tell him not to be mad at me _

_ Soo<3: I’ll do it on Monday. Stop texting me _

 

Baekhyun spent the rest of the weekend streaming animes on his laptop and being generally annoyed with everything. It was somewhere between Galaxy Express 999 and UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie when he had the idea. Monday couldn’t come fast enough. He needed to get this over with, and fast. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Baekhyun got up extra early on Monday, surprising his parents. He made it to school as the sun was rising, knowing that was the only way he could intercept Kyungsoo, who was perpetually one of the first students at the academy. 

He waited by the side door he knew Kyungsoo entered, leaning against the beige brick and playing on his phone. Ten minutes later Kyungsoo showed up, same glum expression on his face. 

“Morning sunshine,” Baekhyun greeted, trailing after him into the school. 

“Why are you here so early?” Kyungsoo asked, purposely walking faster so Baekhyun would have to stumble to keep up.

“I’m turning over a new leaf,” Baekhyun lied.

“I highly doubt that.”

“Whatever. Anyway, I had an idea.”

“I seriously doubt that too,” Kyungsoo retorted, stopping in front of his locker and fumbling with the padlock until it opened. 

Baekhyun’s blood boiled. Why was this man so infuriating?! “Shut up and listen,” Baekhyun hissed, slamming Kyungsoo’s newly opened locker shut. “You need to kiss me.”

Kyungsoo took a step back, horrified. “No!”

“Some magic mumbo jumbo got us here and everyone and their brother knows a kiss breaks evil spells and shit. You said when you got here you were kissing me, that has to be the answer. So kiss me,” Baekhyun ordered. He had nearly puked when he first had the idea but since that time he had talked himself into it. A necessary sacrifice -- plus he could always gargle with bleach after. 

“Don’t come any closer.” Kyungsoo held his backpack up in defense.

“Kiss me, damnit!” Baekhyun took a step forward. 

Kyungsoo swung his bag as hard as he could, the full backpack hitting Baekhyun on the cheek. He stumbled backwards. “This is assault!” he screeched. 

“You were going to assault me first!” Kyungsoo protested. 

Baekhyun clutched his face. There was no way he wouldn’t be left with a bruise. “Kiss me now or I’ll tell everyone you assaulted me!”

Baekhyun knew the look, the moment when Kyungsoo reached the maximum amount of fury.  His face turned red and his already wide eyes grew a little more. He clenched his hands into fists and approached, ready to assault Baekhyun for real. 

Baekhyun waited until he was ready to strike then ducked under the punch and came up face to face with his nemesis. Choking on his repulsion he smashed his lips into Kyungsoo’s mouth, pushing him against the locker in the process. 

And then, Baekhyun would recall much later, shit really got weird. For both of them.

What was a forced press of lip on lip became something more. Baekhyun’s mouth was pressed firmly on Kyungsoo’s like his life depended on it. Kyungsoo gripped Baekhyun’s forearms and tried to push him off, the exertion causing him to part his lips ever so. And in that moment Baekhyun did something he couldn’t understand – he moved his tongue, darting it into Kyungsoo’s mouth. The scarier moment was Kyungsoo’s reaction, the way his lips parted more, his teeth no longer clenched. And then holy shit, they were kissing. 

Baekhyun didn’t know if he was the one who fisted his hands into Kyungsoo’s hair first or if his enemy tugged at his own locks before he even had the idea to do the same. Regardless their tongues slid against each other and the kiss deepened, hands roving. A pool of warmth settled in Baekhyun’s gut.

They broke apart to breathe, a necessity that turned into a mutual annoyance. Kyungsoo went back in first, steering Baekhyun to the left and slamming his back into the locker in turn. 

A loud cough echoed through the hall, breaking the two students apart. Even then ––when they rightfully should have been as embarrassed as they were confused –– they parted hesitantly. 

“Please refrain from public displays of affection while on school grounds,” Mr. Kim, the history teacher reprimanded them.

Baekhyun nodded, dazed at what had just happened. 

“Yes, sir.” Kyungsoo seemed far more composed. He tugged at his uniform, straightening his shirt from where Baekhyun’s roving hands had left wrinkles. “Sir, do you have a few moments? I need to discuss the assignment with you.”

Mr. Kim narrowed his eyes at Baekhyun (he never had liked him) before smiling at Kyungsoo. “Sure thing. I was just on my way to my classroom.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Kyungsoo offered. He grabbed his backpack and closed his locker not sparing a second glance at the boy he had just been tongue wrestling with a few seconds before. 

Baekhyun remained with his back against the locker, rendered utterly speechless for the first time in his life. Damn...had he actually kissed Kyungsoo and liked it?!   
  


  
  
  


By the time lunch rolled around Baekhyun had already accepted he was in the midst of an existential crisis fueled by demon summoning and making out with Kyungsoo. Who would have thought a subpar, mischievous teenager like him would end up like this? Devastating, really. 

He plodded to the lunchroom in a swirl of emotions - anger, confusion….maybe a hint of lust (hey, Kyungsoo was an amazing kisser). When he spotted Kyungsoo sitting with Chanyeol, Jongdae, and Junmyeon he clenched his jaw and made a beeline for their table. The frown on Junmyeon’s face when he saw Baekhyun told the student everything he needed to know ––Kyungsoo still hadn’t told them he forgave Baekhyun. 

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol started, standing up like he would block him from getting any closer. 

Baekhyun halted a few feet from the table, eyes firmly trained on  the boy with luscious lips and oh wow his tongue – his nemesis, Kyungsoo!

“Did you tell them?” Baekhyun asked through gritted teeth. 

Kyungsoo was expressionless; it made Baekhyun angrier. “Guys, I forgave Baekhyun,” he said simply, like he was ordering off the dollar menu and not espousing acceptance of Baekhyun’s immoral deed. 

“You did what?” Jongdae barked, looking at Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo shrugged. “We talked it out and I forgave him. But we aren’t dating anymore.”

Baekhyun smiled and walked to the table, nudging Junmyeon over with his elbow. “It’s good to be back guys. What did I miss?”

Chanyeol sat down slowly, mouth open in surprise. He looked from Kyungsoo to Baekhyun and back. “I...am happy for you guys...I think...”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s great. So who wants to go play billiards after school?” Baekhyun launched into the important subjects while stealing a fry from Junmyeon’s tray.

No one answered, the table minus Kyungsoo and Baekhyun dumbfounded at the casual forgiveness they had just learned of.

“I’ll play,” Kyungsoo said with a wicked smile. 

Baekhyun stiffened. Gritting his teeth he answered, “Gr-great.”

His nemesis was truly a worthy enemy. A worthy enemy with a magic tongue and the way he moved his hands and….shit.

  
  
  
  


Baekhyun had always thought his most memorable time in a billiards hall was when he had shot 200 while sneaking sips of the vodka Chanyeol stole from his parent’s liquor cabinet. Oh, how wrong he was. 

Seated in the back of the deserted hall, halfway on a stool with Kyungsoo pressing into him, mouth roving over his own would be his most memorable time, like it or not. 

And holy hell, how had they ended up kissing again? Baekhyun sighed into the kiss, choosing to forget how the two of them had walked to the pool hall and all but attacked each other the moment they realized no one but the scrawny and perpetually distracted attendant was in the place. 

“You’re a really good kisser,” Baekhyun sighed when they broke apart, immediately regretting giving the compliment. 

Kyungsoo smirked, his hand massaging the back of Baekhyun’s neck. “Am I?”

Kyungsoo’s smirk was the catalyst to end the strange moment. Baekhyun pushed Kyungsoo away and got up, awareness of what they were doing setting in. He stomped his foot like a toddler having a tantrum. “What in the hell are we doing?!”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “I thought we were making out.”

“We hate each other,” Baekhyun reminded him.

“I don’t see what that has to do with kissing,” Kyungsoo tilted his head to the side. 

Baekhyun huffed, storming towards the pool table. “It has everything to do with that. We hate each other and need I remind you but we are stuck in this demon world. We need to get out not…you know.” He couldn’t bring himself to say it. He had kissed Kyungsoo and liked it. Ugh, he would never summon a demon again. Never.  “Have you even kissed anyone before me?” Baekhyun was never one to keep his thoughts on track. 

Kyungsoo repeated his smirk. “Maybe.”

Baekhyun narrowed his eyes at the student. Perhaps Kyungsoo was the demon after all…”I highly doubt that. Now why aren’t we looking at books and figuring out how not to be here. What happened to you being all study this Baekhyun and study that Baekhyun and listen to what I tell you to do Baekhyun and––”

“I like how upset kissing me makes you,” Kyungsoo admitted. “I decided one day of driving you insane wouldn’t hurt our cause.”

“Hey, you like kissing me too,” Baekhyun shot back, indignant.

“I never said I didn’t like it,” Kyungsoo retorted. 

“Argh you are so frustrating.” Baekhyun grabbed his backpack from where he had set it on the floor and slung it over his shoulder. “I’m going home.”

Baekhyun was halfway to the door when his hormones got the better of him. He stopped in his tracks, whirled around, and stomped back to Kyungsoo. He grabbed his neck and pressed him into an open mouth kiss because damn did it feel good. 

When they broke apart Baekhyun wiped his mouth and glared. “Bye.”

“Bye,” Kyungsoo said in a breathy voice. 

Baekhyun decided he hated billiards. Hated them very much. 

  
  
  


Baekhyun found sleep elusive. He tossed and turned through the night, his lips still tingling, his mind a mess of Kyungsoo’s lips, hatred, Kyungsoo’s lips, how to escape a demon bizarro world and damn he was so upset! 

It didn’t help that when he finally found sleep his dream was not of the innocent sort. He woke up late only to realize he had a wet dream. A wet dream about Kyungsoo sucking him off, lips around his dick, skilled tongue moving in all the right ways. 

Baekhyun couldn’t get back to the real world fast enough. 

  
  
  


“Hey, you finish the social studies assignment?” Chanyeol asked, jogging to catch up with Baekhyun as he glowered his way to the first class of the day. 

“No,” Baekhyun answered without registering what he was being asked. The answer would be no from now on he decided. HIs life deserved a no, a big fat no.

“It’s twenty percent of our grade. Dude, you better have a good excuse for not having it done.”

Good excuse? He had a good excuse all right. He was stuck in a demon world French kissing Kyungsoo and having wet dreams about his nemesis giving him blow jobs. Had a student ever had such a solid excuse for not turning in an assignment in history?! 

“Hey, hold on a second.” Chanyeol put a hand on Baekhyun’s shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. 

“What?” Baekhyun snapped, giving his friend the evil eye. 

“Is that a hickey?” Chanyeol gestured towards Baekhyun’s neck.

Baekhyun’s hand shot up to cover the spot. He hadn’t seen it when he was getting ready but he had been in a hurry. Still, he wasn’t doubting it was there -the memory of Kyungsoo’s mouth attached to his neck in the back of the billiards hall was too fresh. 

“I thought you guys weren’t dating anymore.” Chanyeol winked. 

“We aren’t,” Baekhyun croaked. 

“Right. No wonder you look like shit, you guys were up all night weren’t you.” Chanyeol chuckled. “How he forgave you I have no idea but you guys certainly didn’t waste any time.”

“We aren’t sleeping together!” Baekhyun shouted, forgetting he was standing in the middle of a busy school hallway. He earned more than a few choice looks from passerbys.

“We aren’t?”

Speak of the devil. Baekhyun whirled around to see Kyungsoo standing with an innocent expression on his face, looking like a sweet and unassuming student with his hands on his backpack straps, uniform neatly pressed. 

Baekhyun’s eyes went wide. “We aren’t!”

Chanyeol burst into loud laughter. Apparently having his fill he walked away, holding his stomach as he shook with mirth. 

“You- you,” Baekhyun spat. 

Kyungsoo smiled. “You’re kind of cute when you’re mad.”

“We hate each other. H-A-T-E remember!” Baekhyun shouted, ignoring the few students that had stopped to watch the altercation. 

Kyungsoo ignored them as well. He stepped forward and put his hand on Baekhyun’s arm, guided him down the hall and away from the newly formed crowd. “We’re in love in this world, remember that,” he whispered. “Now play nice.”

Baekhyun was slack jawed. Since when had Kyungsoo decided they should act all lovey dovey? “I cheated on you in this world. You hated me, you were pissed,  _ remember _ ?”

Kyungsoo tugged him towards the nearly deserted hall by the shop room and then down towards the fully deserted passageway that ran by the gym locker room. Two seconds after turning the corner Kyungsoo’s lips were on his, tongue pressing against his mouth, urging him to part his lips. 

Baekhyun didn’t resist, couldn’t resist. It felt too good no matter how wrong it was. He lost himself in making out with Kyungsoo yet again, his fury simmering below the surface, letting another set of emotions, of sensations, take over. 

“Come to my house after school, I have something to show you,” Kyungsoo husked when they broke their kiss. 

Baekhyun, panting, confused and more than a little turned on, whispered a meek, “Okay.” He was convinced he had completely lost his mind. 

  
  
  


_ “Phone lady, why do I like kissing my nemesis?” _

_ “I do not have an answer for that” _

_ “Phone lady, do demon worlds make you want to have sex with a guy you hate?” _

_ “I do not understand your question.” _

_ “Phone lady, like say this. Say I want Kyungsoo to suck my dick and he wants it too but then we also hate each-” _

The door to the deserted classroom opened, leaving Baekhyun holding his phone up with an embarrassed look on his face. 

The janitor stood in the doorway, mop in hand.

Baekhyun grabbed his bag and phone and darted for the door, not daring to look the man in the eyes, not sure what he had heard. It was already an hour since classes had ended, an hour since he had taken refuge in the empty classroom in an attempt to both avoid and understand why he actually wanted to go to Kyungsoo’s house. 

Were teenage hormones that powerful? He really shouldn’t have slept through every health class he ever took (but come on, babies were made, yunno, he’d figure it out). 

Kyungsoo had texted him twice, both times he ignored them. He needed time to think and he was well aware thinking was not his strongest point. None of it made sense. They hated each other, always had, and always would. Yet he wasn’t shoving Kyungsoo away when they kissed and Kyungsoo wasn’t punching him. They liked it. They liked kissing each other and it made no sense. Zero sense. A nonsensical situation in a bizarro demon world where Jongdae and Chanyeol hooked up and he had wet dreams about Kyungsoo. 

  
  


Kyungsoo wasn’t about to let Baekhyun off the hook, sending five more texts asking when Baekhyun would be over.  Whatever insanity had seized his mind led Baekhyun to drag his feet to Kyungsoo’s house –– agreeing to visit in his delusional state.  

During the purposefully slow walk he thought about a lot of things. How he met Kyungsoo in sixth grade. How Kyungsoo had in fact removed his hand from a copier he had jammed it into. In seventh grade they were put into the same homeroom. Baekhyun sat behind Kyungsoo and spent most of his time throwing wads of paper at the back of his head. 

Kyungsoo would ignore him which made Baekhyun throw more. Finally the target of Baekhyun’s actions would respond, glaring the way only Kyungsoo could. And then Baekhyun would smile and feel a measure of success that he had gotten Kyungsoo to turn around, to get angry...to pay attention to him.  

In choir their war lasted years, both eager for praise, both one-upping the other. They had the best voices in school and neither man was willing to lose to the other. They were the fuel that kept each other going.

In eighth grade Baekhyun had managed to copy from Kyungsoo’s math test and he delighted in the glare that Kyungsoo sent him when he realized what he had done. 

At their first high school dance Baekhyun pranked Kyungsoo into thinking the punch was spiked. During their sophomore trip he nearly convinced him the cabin they were staying at was haunted, Kyungsoo very nearly showing an ounce of fear (Baekhyun was sure of it even if Kyungsoo only looked angry, not afraid).

Kyungsoo, who was studious and reserved, who hardly looked at Baekhyun unless he was acting out. “Why do I care if he pays attention to me,” Baekhyun muttered, his brain grinding. A horrible thought suddenly occurred to him as he cycled through the memories. 

Kyungsoo wasn’t always reserved, he had done his own level of teasing and pranking a few times. Gluing Baekhyun’s locker shut. Replacing his lunch with a head of cabbage. Writing his number on a bathroom stall. 

Baekhyun considered that he acted out because he wanted Kyungsoo to notice him. He never got mad when Kyungsoo pranked him in turn, because then he was noticing him in a special way. And he wanted Kyungsoo to notice him because…”Oh my god, I like Kyungsoo.” Baekhyun slapped his hand over his mouth in absolute horror.

He liked Kyungsoo.  _ He liked Do Kyungsoo  _ \-- no wonder he didn’t mind making out with him. 

“What do I do, what do I do,” he rambled to himself, standing on the sidewalk, not moving, panicked and bewildered with his realization. “What do I do–”

A rumble of thunder sounded, a strange sound given the clear sky. In seconds a flash of light blinded Baekhyun, the world around him disappearing. 

  
  
  
  


Baekhyun flinched, afraid to open his eyes. Finally he opened his left eye a slit then the right.

“Dude, you’re going to be late.” It was Chanyeol’s voice. 

Baekhyun fully opened his eyes and glanced around. He was in school, in English class, except all of the desks were empty save for his own, Chanyeol perched on the edge.  

“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun sat up and grabbed at his friend’s sleeve in desperation. “What day is it? What happened?”

“Are you–”

“I’m not drunk damnit.” Baekhyun tugged at his sleeve harder. 

“It’s August 9th. You fell asleep at your desk like ten minutes ago but come to think of it you have been acting weird lately…”

“Where is Kyungsoo?!” Baekhyun implored

“Probably at the auditorium where you should be. Did you forget it is the singing contest?” Chanyeol playfully knocked his hand on Baekhyun’s forehead. “I didn’t think you could lose anymore brain cells but man you’re kind of scaring me.”

Singing contest. Was he back to the normal world?! “Are you dating Jongdae?”

“Ewww, no gross,” Chanyeol appeared offended at the suggestion. 

“Am I dating Kyungsoo?”

“You really have lost your marbles, haven’t you,” Chanyeol was astounded at what he was hearing. 

He was back. He had returned just in time for the singing contest. Baekhyun shoved past his friend and ran out of the classroom, towards the auditorium. 

Everything was normal again! Blissfully normal!! He maneuvered around the few students who were taking their time to get to the mandatory school event, nearly knocking one of them over. He ran as fast as he could to the other side of the school, heart pounding, a lightness taking over. 

And then he stopped in his tracks.

Do Kyungsoo, his nemesis, a really great kisser in the demon world, was standing next to the auditorium doors, leaning against the wall, arms folded against his chest. What was Kyungsoo doing standing there when he should be getting ready?! 

“I’m not participating,” Kyungsoo said firmly. “You can win.”

Baekhyun sputtered. It was bad enough he realized he liked Kyungsoo but now the entire ordeal they had shared in bizarro demon world was for naught? “Why?”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “Don’t feel like it.”

“Kyungsoo, do you- did -”

“Yeah, I’m back just like you.” Kyungsoo started walking the opposite way, brushing past Baekhyun without a backwards glance. 

Baekhyun debated if he should follow. Singing competition. Demon summoning reason number one. Singing - oh crap. Baekhyun turned heel and jogged to catch up with his nemesis.

“What are you doing?” Kyungsoo questioned when Baekhyun appeared beside him. 

Baekhyun didn’t have an explanation so he kept quiet. He walked beside Kyungsoo, turning down the deserted halls in silence. Kyungsoo stopped walking once they were near the library. “Why aren’t you competing?”

“I-I” Baekhyun swallowed. Wasn’t he Byun Baekhyun, a man who never took things too seriously?  Who laughed and joked his way through life? He was a bright and happy person, not this tongue tied mess. “I think I like you,” Baekhyun blurted out, shuddering at the revelation. 

Kyungsoo’s eyebrows went up. “What?”

“I think I like you. And I’m not sure but the moment I realized that I came back,” Baekhyun rambled. “And before you say anything yeah, I’m not sure why I like you but I think I do. So you can forget I ever said it and we can just go back to hating each other. Demon bizarro world made me insane. Totally insane so let’s forget it. Deal?”

“I like you too,” Kyungsoo said softly. 

“Like I said we can go back–– wait, what!” Baekhyun couldn’t believe what he was hearing. 

“I said I like you too. I have for a long time,  _ why,  _ the lord only knows but I do.” Kyungsoo kept a straight face. “You’re annoying, you sleep through most of your classes and you smell like Cheetos half the time but for some reason I like you.” 

“I– thank you, I think.” Baekhyun hadn’t expected the feelings to be mutual. Not in a million years…

“Same,” Kyungsoo replied. 

Baekhyun cleared his throat, feeling insanely award. “Where were you walking to?”

“The library. Since you were following me I figured we could go make out while everyone is at the auditorium,” Kyungsoo answered with the same stoic expression. 

Baekhyun’s cheeks flamed. “Y-you thought. Y-you-”

“Unless you don’t want to,” Kyungsoo called over his shoulder, heading for the library.

Baekhyun gritted his teeth, attempting to be stubborn. But he couldn’t be, not when everything had changed. Not when he had every desire to kiss Kyungsoo, not when he had admitted to himself that he liked the one person he used to hate. “Damnit.” He stomped his foot on the ground and ran after Kyungsoo. 

 

_ Later that evening… _

 

Kyungsoo scrolled through his phone, stopping when he reached the specific passage he had been looking for.

_ After the object of your affections returns to the normal world they will likely be overcome by emotions. It is best to be comforting as they accept their feelings for you in tandem with coming to grips with the journey they recently returned from.  _

_ Once you have returned to the normal plane it is essential that you make your new significant other as comfortable as possible. Avoid conflict for the next thirty days.  _

“What are you reading?” Baekhyun plopped down in the booth next to Kyungsoo, leaning forward to get a look at his phone.

“Nothing,” Kyungsoo lied, closing out of the tab titled ‘ _ How to get your crush to fall in love with you by sending you both hurtling into a strange demon world: a guide for dummies’ _ .

Baekhyun shoved a milkshake towards Kyungsoo. They were at a diner, one Baekhyun liked to go to. Kyungsoo usually avoided places like this like the plague but he wasn’t about to argue (the instructions had said thirty days after all). “I got it with extra malt.”

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo smiled at the man next to him. Byun Baekhyun, the person he had hated for so long and then learned to love. Somewhere in the past year it had come crashing down, his image of the smiling boy next to him. The hatred in his heart. It had been replaced with an affection that had long simmered near the surface, finally breaking free. 

He had known it wouldn’t be easy to communicate his feelings, he honestly hadn’t imagined they would be reciprocated. Thankfully demon summoning existed. “Hey, Baekhyun…”

“Hmm,” Baekhyun hummed, slurping up his own ice cream drink.

“Are you mad at me for the whole demon summoning thing?” Kyungsoo toyed with the straw in his malt, avoiding eye contact, nervous how Baekhyun would answer. 

Baekhyun choked on his milkshake. Kyungsoo patted his back until he stopped hacking. “No. I mean it was a horrible thing to do but I forgive you.” Baekhyun wiped the ice cream from the corners of his mouth. 

Kyungsoo nodded, his cheeks puffing out in happiness. At least there wouldn’t be any hard feelings about his demon summoning. That would just be awkward. 


End file.
